Page 31 of A Sense of Paradise
It was one of the longest speeches that Flora had ever heard the taciturn Will make, and she wondered as she rode away what he’d meant by it. She wondered too if she ought to have confided in Melanie and admitted to her secret engagement. She would ask Archie, but for the fact that she knew what he would say. It was a secret only because she had wanted to keep it that way, at least until Luke and Violet had exchanged vows. There was now no further excuse for procrastination, other than Eloise’s situation.
But, she reasoned, more situations are bound to arise—usually of her father’s making.
What am I waiting for?
The weather was perfect, making it impossible for Flora to dwell upon her self-doubts. She turned her face up to the sun and smiled, glorying in the feel of Amethyst’s powerful stride as they cut across country at a steady canter. She reminded herself of the distance she had travelled and the obstacles she had overcome to get where she was in little more than two years. Sometimes she woke in the middle of the night, thinking it had all been a wonderful dream and that she was back in the room she had shared with Pamela at Cathedral Close—the stuff of nightmares from which she was relieved to waken, and a reminder never to look back.
Archie must have seen her approaching and was in the stable yard to greet her in person when she walked Amethyst into it. He looked so endearingly beautiful as he smiled and raised a hand in greeting that her heart stuttered and her self-doubts re-exerted themselves. How would she ever be enough for such a sophisticated and worldly man? She had seen nothing of the world herself. She knew nothing about the ways of the society into which he had been born and took for granted…or very little.
Was it possible for a man to be beautiful, she wondered, thinking in Archie’s case that there could be no question. The evidence stood before her, leaning on his silver-handled cane, the suffering etched deep into his features adding to his allure. A light breeze lifted the thick hair from his brow and his eyes softened as they alighted upon her and he raised a hand in greeting.
‘Good morning,’ he said, sending her an intimate smile as she slid from Amethyst’s saddle and one of Archie’s grooms led the gelding away. ‘You look as fresh and vibrant as the weather.’
‘Good morning to you, Archie. You are looking better today.’
‘I knew I had your visit to look forward to, and that in itself was sufficient to stop my aging bones from aching.’
‘There’s never a dull moment around these parts, is there?’
‘You refer to Rochester’s visit, one assumes.’
He led her directly to the conservatory, one of her favourite rooms in his vast house, especially at this time of year when the gardens were in full bloom and wonderful fragrances permeated the glass structure through the open doors. They seated themselves on a comfortable arrangement of chairs, and Draper materialised to serve them with coffee.
‘What have you done?’ Flora indicated a large bed directly outside the conservatory that had been freshly dug.
‘You remarked that you would like to turn it into a herb garden, so I had someone clear it for you. I thought you would like to supervise the planting yourself.’
She sent him a beaming smile. ‘You are very considerate. Thank you. I would enjoy that very much indeed.’
‘You are entirely welcome. And later today, if you feel like it, I thought we could discuss the changes you would like to make when renovating the principal rooms. God alone knows, it’s beyond time but I never had a reason to make the effort before now.’ His eyes sparkled as he regarded her across the width of the small table that separated them. ‘And the master bedchamber, too.’
She felt her cheeks flush. ‘Your bedroom.’
‘Good heavens, no. It’s more or less as the pater left it. I haven’t bothered to move in yet. I shall do so with my bride.’
‘Tell me more about Lord Riley’s visit,’ she said, unprepared to discuss bedchambers any further with him—especially when he looked at her with a combination of raw desire and wickedness in his expression. Sometimes she would like nothing more than to entice him into whatever bedchamber she chose, but she could hardly do so now, in the middle of the day beneath the gaze of his army of servants. ‘I am sorry to hear about Yardley’s death, although I know from experience that he was a particularly unpleasant person.’ She sighed. ‘The poor bishop. I feel so very sorry for him. His opponents will not show much Christian charity and will use the opportunity to weaken his position if the truth about Yardley’s parentage comes out. I shall write to him and express my condolences, but it will be a very difficult letter to compose. I cannot help but think his having been in France is no coincidence…’ Flora realised she was babbling and stopped speaking mid-sentence. ‘What is it, Archie?’ she asked after a brief pause. ‘What is it that you are not telling me?’
‘I am trying very hard to keep my temper in check—not with you,’ he added hastily. ‘Never with you. But with your wretched father for always attempting to make trouble and come between us.’
Flora’s mouth fell open when he explained that a clumsy attempt had been made to make him appear responsible for Yardley’s murder.
‘You are being ostracised on the strength of an unsubstantiated rumour?’ she cried indignantly. ‘Archie, I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I know how important your reputation is to you and I am mortified to be the cause of this latest problem.’
‘It is not your fault, my sweet.’ He took her hand across the table and linked his fingers with hers, his hand warm and reassuring. ‘You cannot be held responsible for your father’s vindictive character or his actions.’
‘You really think he is behind it?’
He smiled at her. ‘Very possibly.’
‘No, almost certainly.’ She let out a long sigh. ‘I think there is little he will not do to regain his former position and exact revenge upon those who helped remove him from it, even though he only has himself to blame. Being dean meant a great deal to him. It represented the pinnacle of his ambition and he didn’t much care whom he trampled underfoot in order to achieve it. I imagine that Lord Avery and the others who enjoyed his disgusting entertainments will do just about anything to avoid their participation being exposed—especially since children died—and will help Papa in order to protect themselves.’
‘Then we are in agreement.’
Flora allowed a reflective pause. ‘Does Lord Riley think you are the guilty party?’
Archie shook his head. ‘Not for a moment. Apart from anything else, the assailant was described as being injured on the right side of his body.’
‘Ah!’ Flora felt relief flood through her. ‘A clumsy attempt.’
